India - Bangladesh Test Cricket Series 2004-2005

Two Innings defeats for Bangla and India keeps the cup!

India thrashed minnows Bangladesh by an innings and 83 runs on the fourth day of the second and final Test in Chittagong to complete a 2-0 sweep.
India, who won the opening Test at Dhaka by an innings and 140 runs, required just four balls to grab the last Bangladeshi wicket and complete the demolition in a one-sided series.
This was Bangladesh's 20th defeat by an innings margin and 31st overall in 34 matches since they gained Test status in 2000.
For India, Sachin Tendulkar , who had seven single-digit scores against his name in the last 10 innings before the tour, returned to his big-scoring ways against a mediocre Bangladeshi attack. He scored a career-best 248 not out in the opening Test to equal compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's world record of 34 Test centuries. Left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid also made merry with centuries in the second Test to virtually bat Bangladesh out of the match and series, which was contested between two unevenly-matched teams. India's paceman Pathan, who took 18 wickets in the two-Test series was named man of the series.
In Picture:Top Left: Mohammad Ashraful will be remembered for his unbeaten 60 in the opening Test at Dhaka and 158 not out in the second. He is seen with the man of the match trophy in the Chittagong test.Top Right: Ganguly with the test series trophy.
In Picture: The victorious Indian Cricket team with the Videocon Trophy at Chittagong

At the start of the Series..

Bangladesh have lost 29 of their 32 Tests, sparking a debate whether they gained the Test status prematurely. The remaining three matches, two against Zimbabwe and one against the West Indies, were drawn.
In Picture:Left: Indian team arrived without fanfare or scares, but to a throng of curious locals who were waiting in the hundreds outside the Zia International Airport.
Middle: Following the threat, bangladesh security forces guarding the BCB HQ. Bangladesh responded to the threat in a serious manner..
Right: Ganguly and Bashar with the Videocon test series trophy.

India's First Series in Bangladesh

India's first Cricket Series against Bangladesh

Cricket authorities on Friday confirmed the Indian cricket team will tour Bangladesh in December for the first formal Test series between the south Asian neighbours. The Indian team is due to arrive on December 7 to play two Tests and three limited-overs internationals, said a Bangladesh Cricket Board media statement. The first Test is scheduled to be held at the capital Dhaka from December 9, with the second slated for Chittagong, starting on December 16. The first one-day match will be played in Chittagong on December 23. The two other one-dayers will be played in Dhaka on December 25 and December 27.
Bangladesh has yet to win a Test match since becoming a Test playing nation in 2000. Although Bangladesh played its inaugural Test match against India in December 2000, the upcoming tour will be the first series between the two. Bangladesh lost that initial Test match to India by 9 wickets.
In Picture:Top: Bangladesh Cricket team is yet to win a test match after gaining test status in 2000.
Left: Alok Kapali, the wonder boy of Bangladesh cricket, had earned huge media attention following the tour of Pakistan. He made a hat-trick and was also hit by a deadly bouncer from Sabbir Ahmed but showed a lot of courage by coming back the next day to face the Pakistan paceman. Kapali was awarded a gold medal along with three other team-mates by Pakistan President Parvez Musaraf for his outstanding performance.However, he was dropped for the series against India, after some weak performances against New Zealand.

India versus Bangladesh: Itinerary

The full itinerary:

November 22, 2004

Dec 7: Indian team arrives in Dhaka
Dec 8: Rest and practice
Dec 9-13: First Test at Bangabandhu National stadium, Dhaka Dec 15: Rest and practice in Chittagong
Dec 16-20: Second Test at MAA stadium, Chittagong
Dec 21 and 22: Rest and practice
Dec 23: First ODI, MAA stadium, Chittagong
Dec 25: Rest and practice in Dhaka
Dec 26: Second ODI (Day/Night), BN stadium, Dhaka
Dec 27: Third ODI (Day/Night), B N stadium, Dhaka
The Indian squad would reach Dhaka on December 7 to commence their three-week tour of Bangladesh, encompassing two Test matches and three Limited Over Internationals against the hosts.
The squad would plunge straight into the Test series two days after reaching the Bangladesh capital as per the itinerary chalked out by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
In Picture: Indian Team match under the national flag during the opening ceremony of the World Cup Cricket 2003 Tournament.

Death Threats & Security

Indian cricket teams Bangladesh tour cleared

December 7, 2004

The government today gave a partial go-ahead for the Indian cricket teams tour of Bangladesh for the first Test match beginning on Thursday but its security delegation will go to Chittagong, the other venue, to make an assessment of the threat perception there before clearing that segment. The 15-member cricket team led by Sourav Ganguly will leave tomorrow from Kolkata by an Indian Airlines flight.
The tour came under a security cloud after a letter threatening to kill all the Indian players was mailed to the Indian high commissioner, or ambassador, in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. In the letter, mailed on Thursday, a group calling itself Harkatul Zihad threatened to kill the Indians to avenge the deaths of Muslims killed during communal riots in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. The letter, handwritten in poor English, said: "We are happy that India is coming to Bangladesh. We are ready to kill them. Hindus killed 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. We will take revenge."

Indian team lands in Dhaka

Extremely tight security arrangements for India

Dhaka, Dec 8, 2004

The squad was received by the officials of the Bangladesh Cricket board and they were then driven by bus, with police escorts, to the Sonargaon Hotel in central Dhaka. The BBC website reported that Ganguly brushed aside any security fears and said, "We are not concerned with the security and we are here to play. We are here to play well and we are not taking Bangladesh lightly." The threat had caused a delay and it required the Indian government's green signal for the team to leave. The first Test is scheduled to start in Dhaka on Friday, a day behind originally scheduled.
In Picture: Sourav Ganguly: 'We are not concerned with the security and we are here to play'
In Picture: The five-man Indian security team comprising home ministry, foreign ministry and cricket board officials arrived in Dhaka on Monday to assess the security situation. They held meeting with home ministry officials and visited the match venue and hotels where the Indian team would stay.

Dhaka, December 10-14, 2004

India Bangladesh Cricket Series 2004 - First Test India won by an Innings and 140 runs

DAY ONE: Anil Kumble took the 435th wicket of his Test match career to set a new Indian record on the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh. Kumble overtook the mark set by Kapil Dev when he had Mohammad Rafique lbw. And he followed up with a wicket next ball before Bangladesh were bowled out for 184 in 58 overs in Dhaka.
India did not get chance to begin their reply as openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were immediately offered the light on stepping to the wicket.
Earlier India won the toss and Irfan Pathan soon got stuck into the top order, dismissing Javed Omar lbw in his second over with one that nipped back. Pathan was in destructive mood and that showed in his figures of 16 overs 5 maidens 45 runs 5 wickets.
In Picture: Ace leg spinner Anil Kumble created history on the first day by surpassing Kapil Dev's decade-old record of 434 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket. Kumble also has 321 wickets in 259 one-day internationals at an average of 30.69.
DAY TWO: Millions of Sachin Tendulkar 's fans heaved a collective sigh of relief when the Indian batting genius overcame a rare slump to hammer a world record-equalling 34th century in the opening Test against Bangladesh. Tendulkar is now set to create a record which will be difficult to surpass for his contemporaries and successors. West Indies batsman Brian Lara is his closest rival with 26 Test tons.
India were 348 for seven in their first innings at close on the second day of the first cricket Test against Bangladesh on Saturday. Sachin Tendulkar was batting at 159 at close of play. Sourav Ganguly scored 71, and for Bangladesh, Tapash Baisya took 2/78 and Mohammad Rafique took 2/65. India lead by 164 runs with 3 wickets remaining in the 1st innings.
In Picture: Tendulkar tapped the ball to mid-on and darted to his 34th century at the Bangabandhu Stadium on a sleepy Saturday afternoon and in the process equalled the world record for the most test tons.
DAY THREE:Sachin Tendulkar posted the highest Test score of his illustrious career as India built a huge lead over Bangladesh on the third day in Dhaka. The master batsman, 159no overnight after equalling Sunil Gavaskar's record of Test tons, went on to make an unbeaten 247 (previous best 241*) after making his fourth Test double hundred. Zaheer smashed 75 as India amassed a lead of 342. Zaheer took charge from the other end after the fall of two quick wickets, cracking 10 fours and two huge sixes over the on-side. World Record: Zaheer Khan's score of 75 surpassed the 68 by Richard Collinge of New Zealand against Pakistan in Auckland in 1972-73 as the best by a last man. Tendulkar and Zaheer shared in an Indian record 133-run last-wicket stand, as the tourists made 526
If morning session belonged to Sachin, the evening session belonged to Irfan Pathan. As Pathan opened the bowling on a lively pitch, it looked like the match would be over to with two days to spare. Irfan Pathan took five quick wickets before tea - for his first 10-wicket match haul - to leave Bangladesh 36-5. But Nafis Iqbal (54) and Manjural Islam Rana (50 not out) took the match into the final day, with the hosts 170-8.
In Picture: Irfan Pathan, who claimed five wickets in the first innings, added another five to claim his first 10-wicket haul as as the Bangladesh batsman crumbled on the third day of the test.
DAY FOUR: IK Pathan with figures of 15 o 5 m 51 r 6 w gave India its second win in that many tests against Bangladesh. The home team could add only 32 runs to their overnight score to end up at 202 all out in 53.2 overs. Manjural Islam Rana was the top scorer with 69 from 116 balls. In their 33 Tests since 2000, Bangladesh have now accumulated 30 defeats, with only three draws to their credit.
In Picture: Irfan Pathan and Sachin Tendulkar . Tendulkar's double hundred and some inspired seam bowling from Irfan Pathan were all credited for India's massive win over Test minnows Bangladesh in the first Test in Dhaka. The 20 year old Irfan Pathan won his first Man of the Match award.
Brief Scores First Test, Dhaka, day four: Bangladesh 184 & 202 lost to India 526

Chittagong, December 17-21, 2004

India Bangladesh Cricket Series 2004 - Second Test India won by an Innings and 83 runs

START: Resting key players might not be the case when the second and final Test between Bangladesh and Indian begins at the MA Aziz Stadium here on Friday. There have been strong speculations after the first Test in Dhaka that Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar would be taking a break after his world-record equaling 34th Test century at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. In the Bangla-desh camp meanwhile, premier paceman Mashrafee bin-Mortuza appeared a prime candidate for being rested considering the workload he had shouldered on his comeback to international cricket in the first Test after a gap of one year due to injury.
But, fresh from his highest Test knock of 248, Tendulkar wasted little time before getting down to training at the MA Aziz Stadium in the afternoon. That should be inspiring news for the followers of the great right-hander in Chittagong. Smarting under an innings and 140-run defeat in Dhaka, the Bangladesh think-tank is also planning to field three pacers including 'Narail Express' Mashrafee.
In Picture: Sachin practicing at the MA Stadium.
DAY ONE: Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid hit a century apiece as India gained a strong position after the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh.
The hosts endured another woeful day as India racked up 334-2 with Gambhir hitting 139 and Dravid 145 not out. They put on 259 for the second wicket in 68 overs as Bangladesh's inexperienced bowling attack wilted. Sachin Tendulkar, after a double-ton in the first Test, clubbed three fours in an over to be 36 not out at stumps.
Tendulkar will now facy his chances of scoring a world record 35th Test century on Saturday.
In Picture:Rahul Dravid now has hit a century in all the test playing nations.
DAY TWO: Centurion Rahul Dravid was bowled for 160 by paceman Mashrafe bin Mortaza, who also dismissed Sachin Tendulkar lbw with the first ball of the day.
But Sourav Ganguly made a patient 88 with some help from Harbhajan Singh who made 47 and India then reduced Bangladesh to 54-3 at the close after a solid start to their reply. In the Indian innings, Mohammad Rafique took 4 wickets for 156 runs in 50 overs.Kumble took two wickets for India to take his overall wickets total in Tests to 440.
In Picture: The pick of the Bangladesh attack was Mortaza, who finished with figures of 3-60.
DAY THREE: Mohammad Ashraful struck 158, the best score by a Bangladesh batsman in their four-year Test history, but India were poised for victory in Chittagong. It was Ashraful's second century for his country, his first coming on debut at the age of just 16. At stumps on day three, Bangladesh were 118-9. After being bowled out for 333 in their first innings they were asked to follow on 207 runs behind. Bangladesh were 312/7 at tea in their first innings before ending the day at 118/9 in the second, collapsing against Irfan Pathan's pace.
In the morning, Bangladesh began on 54-3 in reply to India's 540.
In Picture: Mohammad Ashraful hit 24 boundaries and three sixes in his 194-ball innings. He ended up with 158 not out. In the second innings, on the same day, he was bowled for 3!
In Picture:Sachin Tendulkar (3rd from left) congratulates Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Ashraful after he remained unbeaten on 158 in the first innings of the second Test in Chittagong on day three.
DAY FOUR: Bangladesh trailed by 89 runs with 1 wicket remaining when the day's play started. Harbhajan Singh started the over for India, and in the second ball, Talha Jubair steped forward and lofted the ball over the long-on fence for a clean SIX. He defended the very next ball (3rd) carefully, before trying to clear the long-on fence on the fourth ball. Pathan, who had once again tored through the Bangladesh line up only yesterday evening, picking up yet another 5 wickets in the process, took a tumbling catch in the deep to end the innings. India 2 - Bangladesh 0. This was Bangladesh's 31st lost in 34 matches. Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore said the big difference between the two sides was left-arm fast bowler Pathan, who was named man of the series for taking 18 wickets in two matches. "It's clear to see that we have to resist the new ball. We should bat better to get a competitive score." Whatmore believes his team learnt a lot despite losing both tests by an innings margin.
In Picture: Respects were paid to the late former Indian captain Vijay Hazare before the start of the match on day three.
Brief Scores Second Test, Chittagong, day four (end of match): India 540 beat Bangladesh 333 & 124 (26.4 ov) (follow on)

Indian team for the Bangladesh Cricket Series

Kumble rests for ODIs

One-day squad for Bangladesh: Saurav Ganguly (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik, Dinesh Mongia, Sridharan Sriram, Joginder Sharma.
The national selectors omitted stylish batsman V V S Laxman and leg-spinner Anil Kumble and named two uncapped youngsters in the Indian squad for the three one-day internationals against Bangladesh this month. While Laxman and Kumble were "rested", Haryana pacer Joginder Sharma and Bihar wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni were the two new faces in the 15-member squad announced by Cricket Board Joint Secretary Gautam Dasgupta in Kolkata.
In Picture: Indian Team match under the national flag during the opening ceremony of the World Cup Cricket 2003 Tournament.

Bangladesh Cricket Team

Bangladesh Team Announced

December 7, 2004

Even as the Indian cricket teams tour of Bangladesh hung in balance following a death threat issued by a militant group, the Bangladesh cricket board announced a 13-member squad for the two-Test series.One-day squad for Bangladesh: Habibul Bashar (Captain), Khaled Mashud, Nafis Iqbal, Javed Omar, Mohammed Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mohammed Rafique, Tapash Baishya, Mashrafee Bin Murtaza, Talha Zubair, Manjurul Islam Rana.
In Picture: Habibul Bashar is one of the team's older heads and his experience will prove vital at the top of the order.